Hey there, dental professionals and industry enthusiasts.
Picture this. It's October, and you're in the
middle of one of the most transformative
experiences of your career. You're at the Becker's
fall future of dentistry roundtable in the vibrant
city of Chicago, fresh off an incredible 3
days at the Hyatt Regency. Imagine yourself inspired
and invigorated after attending captivating keynote sessions by
none other than the legendary boxing world champion
and CEO, Lila Elite, and the extraordinary professional
basketball player, Caitlin Clark. See yourself engaged in
lively discussions, exchanging ideas, and collecting a stack
of business cards from fellow dental experts and
potential partners. You've networked with over 350
attendees and learned from more than 80 speakers
who are at the forefront of dental innovation.
You sat in on educational sessions exploring topics
that elevate dental care as a critical element
of whole person health. You've witnessed firsthand how
digital technology is revolutionizing
patient outcomes
and how both large DSOs and independent practices
are flourishing.
Get ready to transform your career and don't
miss out on this incredible opportunity. The Becker's
fall future of dentistry roundtable is from October
30th to November 1, 2024.
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and clicking on the events page.
Hello. This is Arianna Porto Latin with the
Becker's Dental and DiaSeal review podcast.
I'm thrilled to be joined today by doctor
Frank Clayton of Clayton Dental. Doctor Clayton, thank
you so much for being here today.
Hi, Arianna. I I appreciate the invite. It's
great it's great to be here. Yeah. It's
great to have you.
So to start off with, can you introduce
yourself and tell us a little bit about
your background?
Yes. Yes.
As Arianna said, I'm doctor Frank Clayton. I
am a dentist
in North of Atlanta in Suwanee, Georgia.
Started,
practicing in 1999
and started de novo practice
of my own
and recently
sold to Foundation Dental Partners. So,
right now, it's Clayton Dental, and we're undergoing
a transition to Village Grove Dental.
I'm a solo doc. I've had some specialists
in and out and some associates.
And right now, I'm in my,
23rd
year at this office.
Great. Thank you for that.
And what are some of the biggest issues
that you're following right now in the dental
industry?
You know, you know, I don't think it's
gonna be a surprise to anyone. It's the
staffing.
It's,
has been the biggest challenge. You know, I
was I was blessed to have no change
for
about 8 years. I had the same staff.
I had been there for 18 years, 12
years, 17 years.
And,
even through COVID, we made it. But
along with the aging,
goes retirement.
So a couple of those,
employees have retired
and now being in the hunt for finding,
employees that are, you know,
that are ready to roll with my type
of practice, that is, that's the biggest challenge.
Okay. Not only yeah. For for pay rate,
but for skills and philosophy,
work ethic.
And I think that mirrors what a lot
of people,
have come across.
And I know the pandemic exacerbated a lot
of those issues. Were you dealing with staffing
shortages before COVID started?
Luckily, we weren't. And I was very fortunate,
that I kept my staff on
and continued to
I I didn't have to lay anybody off,
continue to pay them,
and didn't go through any transitions during COVID.
My transitions just happened within the last,
6 to 8 months.
So,
unlike a lot of practices
that did experience a a lot of rocky
roads through COVID, I I have not.
And what, positions are those affecting mostly?
Hygiene for sure. You know, there's always seems
to be a hygiene shortage,
low supply.
My my thoughts on that are it's it's
predominantly female dominated,
and
females
have the kids, stay home with the kids.
So the supply is constantly
low. That's the number 1. The second is
actually finding qualified,
front desk administrator
with,
you know, with experience. They're there, but,
each practice is very it's different with different
details and insurance,
whether it's cosmetic driven, implant driven. So there's
a different verbiage
and processes and treatment plans to run through
with
with, front desk admin.
Mhmm. So that takes a little more effort
than I would say chairside assistant,
in filling, but it's been a challenge.
Okay.
And I'm also curious, what are you most
excited about when it comes to dentistry right
now, and is there anything that makes you
nervous?
Yeah. Good questions. The the excited part is
the technology,
that I see and then I was starting
to use with as far you know,
as deepest treatment planning on 3 d
and 3 d printers
and things that
once had to go to a lab,
maybe that weren't a 100% accurate because they
involved analog.
Meaning, you know, if you use polyvinyl
or something that was prone to air or
shrinkage or heat.
A lot of the technology now takes that
guesswork out of it
very precise to the point where it really
can't be off, but you can buy technology
to replace some of the lab driven costs
and keep it in your office as far
as templates
and guides and even you know, I understand
they're 3 d printing crowns. That's very exciting
stuff that's,
recently come along that I think is gonna
change a lot of the way,
the younger dentists practice.
Okay. And was there anything that makes you
nervous about the industry?
Continues to be the, the labor pool.
You know, with with that, what I just
mentioned with technology,
either you're going to have to train someone
who,
if they had been in dental, maybe not
familiar with that technology.
The low supply pool in addition to advanced
training with that,
is gonna create,
employees that need a special skill set if
you're one of those offices that employs a
lot of that technology.
So you're even looking for more of just
instead of an you know, an assistant, you're
looking for a niche assistant
that understands
maybe your workflow processes that you do.
Obviously, each one is dependent on practices, And
you could be a surgical practices or endo.
But for general restorative, if you're taking a
dip into the technology pool, you're going to
be
spending or having people come to your office
to train
your employees to get up to speed on
that.
Okay. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense.
And last question here. What will the most
effective health care leaders need to be successful
in the next 2 to 3 years?
Honestly,
the most
successful healthcare leaders that and I'll bleed over
into medical,
ones that have been
on the ground
in these offices
and see the way the processes work,
Because of the changing,
climate with employees,
it's very different than it was 10 or
20 years ago if you're, you know, a
health care executive or a leader
to manage by that style because
the the younger workforce,
different mix of
commitment to the job, more days off, more
traveling, more it's it's a different culture shift.
If you are a health care executive and
still managing by the old principles,
I think you're gonna run into a wall
and some resistance with employees, whether they be
top level,
VPs or managers trying to implement that
all the way down to a younger workforce
that is,
you know, that you have to tailor your
style of presentation
and leadership,
and blend it with another generation.
And I think those that try to force
old generation habits,
whether it be the small DSO or even
a large in a larger hospital setting,
you have to realize that you're not talking
to people
and that you were 20 years ago, and
things have changed, and they have to get
up to speed with it. My suggestion would
be, honestly, get down at that level
and talk to those people. Work a day
in that environment
to see
how, how things have changed.
Okay.
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining
us today, doctor Clayton. It's been a pleasure
speaking with you and I look forward to
connecting, with you again in the future.
Oh, you bet. I appreciate the invite and
take care.